Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Venezuela Update

It's time for another quick look at once-wealthy Venezuela, now in a seeming death spiral. Yahoo News carries a Christian Science Monitorstory that is, honestly, more atmospherics than facts.

In a messy situation like today's Venezuela, atmospherics can be telling as there is little agreement about the facts or what they could mean. This piece is the interwoven interviews of Venezuelans at various socio-economic levels about their current lives, fears, and reactions.

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A quick review for those who haven't closely tracked Venezuelan developments. Former President Hugo Chavez - founder of their socialist revolution - shared JFK's ironic 'good fortune.' Both died in office before their ineffectiveness became widely obvious, and are thus remembered as near-saints.

Chavez' hand-picked successor - Nicolas Maduro - inherited the Chavez mess, ran out of other people's money, and cannot make the country "work." The mob will likely destroy him.